Butterfly and Flame - Alina and Evan

Elliot

Elliot hid his smile as he witnessed the interaction between Alina and Evan. He knew his niece to be sweet, affable and loving. He had been present when his nieces temper was provoked by unfairness or meanness but never had he seen Alina react with such temper. She was angry to be sure but she couldn't seem to calm her self down and think of the opportunity she had before her. This was totally unlike her. Especially knowing how much Alina wanted this book to succeed in order to take care of her brother.

Alina glared at the man sitting casually on the seat across from her. Initially she couldn't stop starring at him. She apologized for her rudeness in being late and tried to explain that her cat Maxwell was truly the cause. She noticed that his eyebrows shot up when she mentioned the cat and at first assumed he was dubious of her explanation. She continued to explain that Maxwell was a therapy cat. Well he was a rescue that became a therapy cat for her brother. Her brother had been staying with Alina at their family home while his place was being renovated for accessibility to a wheel chair in the shower and ramps in the front and back of the house. Although Maxwell was really her cat, Maxwell had decided he preferred her brothers company immediately after he had come back from his hospital stay to recover from the accident. That cat had helped Leo deal with his emotions and seemed to know when Leo was in need of some feline company. Maxwell wasn't just a cat he was family. Unfortunately he liked the outdoors way too much. Any chance he got he would slip out and return at his leisure. Such was the case the morning of the appointment. That was why she was late. She felt it was a good reason and that a reasonable person would understand. Evan however responded by stating the obvious " you should have been more careful. Perhaps a cat enclosure would be advisable for Maxwell. Felines are very territorial and their boundaries extend a couple of miles around their neighborhood. I hope he's neutered and chipped?" Said Evan. Alina felt her face get hot and turn red under his stare. "Of course he is, but Maxwell is a free spirit and I would never cage him up. He would hate it. I don't suppose you have a cat in your life Mr. ahh ?..actually Alina realized that she didn't even know his last name. His Instagram page was dedicated to his photography business and therefore it didn't have his name, just the web page address and the Professional name of his studio Vision Photography. She realized that her uncle had never referred to him by his first or last name and referred to him as the photographer when they had discussed reaching out to him to set up a meeting. Elliot handled all the details and Alina put it out of her mind. "What is your name by the way?" She asked a bit abruptly. Raising an eyebrow as she looked at his slightly smug face.
"Alina, this is my oversight. Please let me formerly introduce you to Mr. Evan Alexander. Evan, this is Alina Salvatierra also my niece. Alinas eyes opened a little wider as his last name registered with her, but she couldn't remember how or why it was familiar. Evan noticed her recognition and decided to get it over with and fill in the blanks. "You've probably seen some of my work in your airport. The large one of El Cap and the Smaller segments of the Yosemite Valley. There also a few photograph hanging at the children's hospital. I did a some work for them a few years back celebrating the towns 100 year celebration. Most of the photography displayed at your airport depicting El Cap and the Yosemite valley was shot by"....., she interrupted him with the rudest and most insulting commentary she could think of..."No I don't think I'd heard your name before. The pictures are very pretty though and I'm sure they sell plenty of postcards of them in the gift shop during the summer". The words flowed out of her mouth faster than she could think through her sentence. Too late. The intended insult hit home. She saw it in his eyes as they registered surprise and then irritation. She was not a rude person but she immediately bristled at his inference that she was careless with Maxwell and didn't know how to care for a cat. To top things off she considered him arrogant throwing his name around like a big conceited ass.Of course she knew his work and his name. She had marveled at the photos in the hospital for sometime now. Oddly enough she felt a connection with them and wondered about the photographer and what he was like. As per usual she had begun fantasizing about the man and his passion for nature and creating an elaborate fairy tale about him. Looking across the table at the man now she acknowledged that her fantasy storyline she had envisioned was no where near the reality of how gorgeous he was. She instantly felt embarrassed at the way she was starring at him and at her comment and was ready to soften it by adding that she had indeed visited galleries in Los Angeles where some of his pieces were on display. Alina smiled and said " Mr. Alexander....pausing for effect " Actually, come to think of it I do seem to remember your na"... but he cut her off with a comment of his own. "Miss. Salvatierra it is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for you compliment of my "pictures" I do take great pride in photographing the beauty around me. Your very lucky to be able to have such amazing wildlife and scenery right in your own back yard. And your absolutely right, those postcards are a top seller". Again she felt her face turn red as he put her in her place without once changing the pitch of his voice and smiling while he said it.

Elliot grimaced at the exchange of the two young people in front of him. Intentionally he bowed his head a little and excused himself saying he felt a bit tired and was dealing with some blood pressure issues. Alina immediately stood up and put her arms around Elliot and encouraged him to go and lie down. Apologizing again for making him wait and getting off topic. She told him she would make him some of her famous "manzanilla" tea and he smiled at her and thanked her. Evan watched as the spitfire in front of him disappeared in an instant and in her place a soft doe eyed Nymph appeared on the scene. She spoke softly and with great tenderness to Elliot and her embrace was sincerely felt by him across the table. He felt embarrassed at his behavior and asked Elliot if he preferred to continue the meeting tomorrow.
"Absolutely not. You two continue and excuse me please. A little rest is all I need". Alina walked him to his room with a promise to bring him his tea.
Evan got up and went to the kitchen to find a kettle and fill it with water to get a head start. As Alina walked into the kitchen she noticed him at the stove. "Thank you, I can take it from here. Can I get you some as well? She asked. Evan noticed a small smile cross her lips and he decided that he should take the olive branch she was offering. "Yes thank you. I've never had "Manzanilla" tea. It's basically Chamomile isn't it? He said. "Yes. It's very good for the nerves, upset stomach and high blood pressure. I make my own mix and always give some to Elliot".
She stared at the tall, tanned man standing in the kitchen and felt she owed him an apology. "Mr. Marukeen, I'm"....he interrupted and said please call me Evan. After all we will be working closely together. No need to stand on ceremony. And yes I accept your apology, that is what you were about to offer right?" He couldn't help irritating her. Seeing her eyes flash and his skin flush with color was amazing. He didn't know if his camera could capture that amount of emotion. He said it with a smile that bordered on a smirk. In an Instant her blood felt like it was boiling and she narrowed her eyes as she said "Thank you, your very kind". Preparing the tea for Elliot she excused herself and walked away. Evan was surprised when she sweetly set his teacup and saucer in front of him on the counter as she walked away. Well that's a switch he thought raising his cup to his lips. The lovely aroma of the tea engulfed his senses and he looked forward to trying out his first cup. He gagged and coughed his way to the sink to spit out the horrible concoction and dump out the rest. The little minx put salt in the tea instead of sugar. No wonder she was so sweet. So Miss. Alina was not about to give an inch it would seem. Well he was ready to play. And nobody was better at this game than Evan.
Elliot thanked Alina for her concern and care and spoke softly and with measured words. "Alina please give Evan a fair chance. He is the best in his field and although illustration is new for him you have to admit you loved what he did with the drawing of the cat". She tried to interrupt but he raised his hand to stop her and continue. " Alina you need this project to succeed and he is willing to do it for next to nothing and bring a lot of experience and name notoriety to you book. That is worth a great deal in this industry. Please. Don't look for injury where none was intended. I know how sensitive you have been and that a lot is riding on your book. So please take my advice and swallow your pride and make it work".

Alina couldn't help but drop her gaze from Elliot's face to her feet. She knew she had overdone it and let her emotions fly off the handle. Elliot was right and she needed to make this work. She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the old man and kissed him on the cheek and said "Don't worry uncle I will do what I need to do. I'm sorry if I caused you distress. I know that I wouldn't have gotten this far without all your support and guidance. Please forgive me". Elliot looked at her and was always amazed at her uncanny resemblance to a face he hadn't set his eyes on in more than fifteen years. He let out a sigh and smiled and then shooed her out the door.He sat in his old recliner near the window, sipped his tea and closed his eyes remembering another time where a beautiful young girl set a tea cup in front of him and dazzled him with her smile and her tea.

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